In which a veteran of cultural studies seminars in the 1990s moves into academic administration and finds himself a married suburban father of two. Foucault, plus lawn care.

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From the 'Signs of Hope' department: apparently, the top-selling vehicles in America for the last fifteen years have been trucks. In May, they were the Toyota Corolla and the Honda Civic. In my mind, the change is an unambiguous good. Now if the American carmakers could get their stuff together and produce some well-made, small, efficient cars that don't suck, we'd really be in better shape.

From the 'Time Passes' department, an actual exchange with The Boy yesterday:

TB: Dad, what's a Walkman?

(pause)

DD: It's like an ipod.

TB: Oh. Okay.

From the 'Budding Critic' department, an actual exchange with The Girl from earlier this week, when we were listening to XM Kids in the car, and a slow version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" came on:

TG: I like the noisier songs.

DD: Me, too.

TG (forlorn): Songs like these just make me sad.

Her use of 'noisier' may be technically incorrect, but I knew exactly what she meant. And she nailed the tone.

From the 'Algonquin Round Table' department, an actual dinnertime exchange, earlier this week:

TB: I bet Darth Vader had nasty farts.

DD: I wonder if they had that same breathing sound as his voice.

TW: He probably sighed afterwards.

DD: And had to swish his cape.

TB: (in a Darth Vader voice) The Force was strong in that one!

DD: (in a Darth Vader voice) My shorts have gone over to the dark side.

I don't even want to admit the total number of years of formal education represented in that exchange...